It was so for Liberty in the literal sense, as the Hurricanes survived a quadruple-overtime battle for the "AAAA" Eastern Championship over a very big, very physical, very game Pennsbury squad.

Upper St. Clair might not be physically drained, but maybe from everyone still talking about that "one play", a controversial 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, which changed the entire complexion of their Western Final against State College.

Nonetheless, when Jim Render's Upper St. Clair Panthers (15-0) meet Tim Moncman's Liberty Huuricanes (14-1) this Saturday evening, it will be for all the marbles in "AAAA". Kickoff of the PIAA Class "AAAA" State Championship from Hersheypark Stadium is set for 7 pm.

This game will also be a match-up of teacher vs. pupil.

Render, the teacher, is in his 28th year as the USC head coach. He has won 5 WPIAL "AAAA" Championships, and is making his 4th appearance in the "AAAA" State Championship game. Render's Panthers won the 1989 Final 12-7 over Wilson West Lawn, lost the 1992 Final to Cumberland Valley 28-12, and also lost the 1997 Final to Central Bucks West 44-20.

That leaves Tim Moncman as the pupil, and he seems to be a pretty fast learner. He has posted a career 69-37 record in 9 seasons, won 2 consecutive District 11 and PIAA Eastern "AAAA" Championships, and finished as the 2005 "AAAA" State Runner-up to McKeesport.

Two accomplished coaches lead two teams which feature some pretty accomplished athletes.

For Upper St. Clair, quarterback Pat McShane has been the leader, and a quiet one. He doesn't say a whole lot, but tends to let his play do the talking. McShane has thrown for 1,262 yards and 13 TDs with only 2 INTs this season. He also plays defensive back, and is a lockdown cover man for the Panther defense. McShane even does a little running, and has 4 rushing touchdowns in 2006.

Running back Dane Conwell has 1,433 yards, a team-high, and also lines up at linebacker. He had an amazing half-minute stretch in the "AAAA" WPIAL Championship game. He scored the deciding touchdown against Penn Hills, and then, from his linebacker spot, sealed the victory with an interception. Last week against State College, he rattled off 133 yards and a score.

But Upper St. Clair, which averages 30.7 points per game, isn't a flashy team. They spread the wealth around, and it would not be surprising to see such players as Neil Apfelbaum or Adam Chrissis or WR/KR Taylor Everett get their hands on the ball.

They will be pitted against a Hurricane defense which yields 14.2 points per game.

Liberty is one of the most proficient offensive teams in the East. Averaging 40.3 points per game, the Hurricanes offense seems unstoppable.

It's even more unstoppable when #7 gets going.

Dan Persa is the quarterback of the Hurricanes, and the Northwestern-bound senior is having himself quite a season to remember. Persa has completed 159 of 241 passes (65%) for 2,064 yards. Persa has only thrown 3 INTs all season long, so don't expect him to make too many mistakes.

Persa is also a very mobile quarterback. He's just as much a threat to run as he is to pass, as evidenced by his 1,116 rushing yards on 195 attempts (5.7 yards/carry).

If you want proof of Persa's play-making ability, look no further than the two Easton games. Persa single-handily beat Easton in both meetings, and the Red Rovers really had no answer for #7.

Ahkeem Smith replaced Charles Irvin at tailback for the Hurricanes. Irvin had a solid season last season for Liberty, and this season, Smith hasn't missed a beat, running for 1,369 yards and 29 TDs on 227 carries (6.0 yards/carry).

If Liberty were to win this Saturday evening, it would be the 497th win in school history. The Hurricanes already have set the school record for most wins in a year (14), most defensive take-aways (39), and Allen Petros set the school record for sacks (13.5).

Liberty has been setting records left and right, but they'll be pitted against an Upper St. Clair defense which allows 10.3 points per game and hasn't allowed a team to run for more than 76 yards this entire postseason.

So batten down the hatches, Hershey.

A perennial WPIAL powerhouse and a steamrolling Hurricane are heading your way.

Thankfully, though, the damage will be confined to the football field.

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